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Websleuths News

Join Websleuths Radio for the final discussion of THE KILLING SEASON
with Josh Zemam, Rachel Mills and special guests including Bob Kolker author of Lost Girls

former Truth of Consequences police officer Noah Pestak could face a statutory rape charge after he married the pregnant teenager last month.

"It's not like he met this girl and she lied about her age. He (Pestak) picked up this little girl," Baca said. "If this was anybody else, he'd already be in jail. Because he's a former police officer and a judge's son is the only reason he's free right now."

It sounds like it's time to change the law, but I can't see how he could be prosecuted for something that's legal.

This state is weird. The courts can allow a child under 16 to marry with permission of the court. There doesn't seem to be a minimum age - once a girl reaches puberty and can become pregnant, she is available for marriage if a court gives permission. Weird weird.

Further complicating this is apparently it's the cop's dad's court that okayed this? Hm.

Noah Pestak turned himself in Friday morning after State Police obtained a warrant for his arrest on three counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of attempting to tamper with evidence...

The girl’s father, Chester Hamilton, previously told the Journal that, while he was initially enraged by the officer’s relationship with his daughter, he no longer wants him prosecuted.

“What he (Noah Pestak) did was wrong, but by them putting charges on him now, putting him in prison, would leave my daughter a teenage mom on welfare and that’s something I don’t want either,” Hamilton told the Journal in June...

After the girl returned the money for the abortion to Pestak, she and her father filed a report with State Police because they were concerned that Pestak would not provide financial support for the child and might retaliate against them.

Five days later, Noah Pestak and the girl, accompanied by Hamilton, obtained a marriage license from Sweazea after the judge held a hearing to determine that the girl was both pregnant and wanted to marry.